"Chief Constable Simon Cole has to operate under the Policing Plan given to him by the police and crime commissioner (PCC).

"21,000 crimes unreported, staff lacking direction and training in the basics, crime on the increase.

"Willy Bach’s Policing Plan clearly isn’t working, despite the protection the police have received to their £171m budgets since 2016 from the Government.”

Coun Rushton said: "Willy is a friend but it is evident he doesn't have the grip that (Tory predecessor) Sir Clive Loader had.

"I know he will say he needs more money but this inspection shows he is not using the resources he has efficiently.

“It’s a question of priorities and having to operate within the financial envelope - if he can’t operate within, say, a budget of £10, why would we want to give him £12?”

Conservatives in Leicestershire are becoming increasingly vocal in their condemnation of Lord Bach who achieved a shock victory in the PCC election in May last year.

Nick Rushton and Willy Bach

Lord Bach said: "I would say to Nick, in the gentlest possible way, it is a bit rich to hear a Tory council leader criticising the police when the Conservative Government has spent the last few years doing its best to cripple the police through budget cuts.

"I'm not sure Nick has seen the comments of HM inspector Zoe Billingham who said: 'The force’s finances are stable and it has consistently met savings targets. The force will need to plan carefully to achieve a sustainable financial position for the future, while meeting increasing demand. I am confident that the chief constable and his chief officer team will continue to move the force in the right direction over the coming year'."

"It would be better if he spent more time pushing the Government to provide adequate funding for the police rather than having a go at them."

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Politics

Lord Bach said he was disappointed with inspection findings but significant work had been carried out since the inspectors' visit - particularly to reduce the number of abandoned 101 non-emergency calls.

He has however blamed Government cuts for the pressure the force has found itself under.

Lord Bach has renewed his call for increased funding after Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners forces should stop asking for more money.

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Lord Bach said evidence gathered by police commissioners from all parties and senior officers shows that £440 million extra is required in 2018/19 and £845 million in 2019/20 to cope with demand.

He said the rise in funding would provide an additional 5,000 officers to deal with increased local policing demands from new sorts of crime and increasing complexity, and an armed policing uplift of a further 1,100 officers.

Lord Bach, who has this week written to the 10 MPs in Leicester and Leicestershire stressing the force’s financial struggles, said: "The demands on the police are constantly increasing.

“Leicestershire Police received a record number of 999 calls on Tuesday October 31 due to Halloween and a series of serious and resource-intensive incidents.

“During one four-hour period, the force received an average of one 999 call every minute.

"If it was just one night, that would be one thing, but it's not. Crime is going up, nationally and locally.

“Crime is more complex, diverse and time-intensive than at any time in our recent history.

"We have fewer officers and we are asking more of them.

“We need officers to tackle issues such as cyber-crime and terrorism. The public rightly expect to see officers on the street.

“We need officers to investigate crimes and bring those responsible to justice. The population is rising."

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"I am quite clear that we simply cannot afford to compromise our approach to issues such as counter-terrorism, work which has naturally intensified this year, child sexual exploitation and on-line criminality.

"Further budget cuts - otherwise known as the flat cash ‘protected' settlement - are simply doing those who seek to protect us a disservice.”